Earning your Tails
by maskmaker88
Summary: The Kyuubi has grown tired of his life and wishes it to end, but if he dies, who will take his place? Yaoi, Naruto/MALE Haku. Actually has a Naruto universe plot, unlike every Yaoi story, that just exsists for the sake of Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

_**I truly hate humans. I truly hate them. They're sneaky, conniving, hateful, unforgiving, deceitful, and most of all, they're violent. Humans attack my kind, trap them and torture them. Humans trapped me in a child. And then they blame that child for my "wrong" doings. I don't know why, but being with this child for so long, twelve years I believe, has made me come to a realization, I hate humans more than anything. There is however one human I don't hate; I just don't like his foolishness. He takes beatings, names, glares that could pierce the soul, and mistreatment. Yet he still smiles and picks himself up. His own people, his own race, turned against him, and yet he strives to make them accept him. Why? Why would he want their acceptance? They treat him like dirt, no, worse than dirt, and he still wants them to like him. He has helped me realize two things. One, I hate humans more then I hate my brothers and sisters who try to claim my territory. Two, I've lived too long. I would now like nothing more than to finally die. But I can't break the demon chaos rule. When one demon dies, another must take its place. But who will replace me? I would have to find someone to take my power, so I can finally rest. It's something I've pondered ever since the boy's sixth birthday, when his people beat him to the point of death if not for my healing. But I've found my answer, my replacement. Someone who understands the evil and depravity of humans, someone who has a never give up motto. I've chosen, Naruto Uzumaki…**_

Naruto found himself in a dark, wet place. Suddenly, memories of what happened returned to him. He had been on a mission in Wave country. He had found Sasuke beaten by Haku, and just when he was going to attack Haku, said ninja put a senbon in his wind pipe.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"_**You are in your mindscape, Naruto-San."**_ A demonic voice answered.

Naruto turned his head to the voice. He jumped when he saw he was next to a giant cage, two red eyes staring at him. When he caught his breath, Naruto looked back to the red eyes. It was then that he saw something strange about the eyes. They looked…sad.

"Who are you?" asked the blond.

The eyes looked at him carefully, trying to figure out how to tell him what it had to say. **"You should know by now whom I am, Naruto-San."**

Naruto took a few steps back, tripping on his feet. "K-K-Kyuubi?!" he shouted.

The demon fox sighed and stepped closer to the cage, showing his form. **"In the flesh."**

Naruto crawled back a few feet again. "W-why am I h-here?" he asked, his back against the wall.

"**I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it. Naruto, I want to take over my position."**

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the mighty beast. "Position?"

"**As the Kyuubi no Kitsune."**

"WHAT!?" Naruto yelled, wondering if the fox was healthy in the head.

Kyuubi sighed again. **"You are acting the way I thought you would. Naruto, you need to calm down."**

"How do you expect me to calm down whe-" Naruto was cut off when the Kyuubi sent him a death glare.

The glare softened and the Kyuubi spoke again. **"Naruto… I have lived far too long, longer then I can remember. My existence before you were born was meaningless. All feared me, all hated me, and all wanted me dead. I was fine; in fact, I loved the hate and fear. But, as time went on, I realized I was alone, completely…alone. I hate it, I hate the loneliness, and it tortures me. Then I was sealed in you, and my existence was less then meaningless. I was doomed to heal a snotty brat for the last few years of my life. But…"** the mighty fox sighed again. **"I've come to realize that my existence had one meaning, to protect my host. But, I can't take it anymore; it drives me to insanity to stay here. I have to leave, but I can't go back out there, back to the loneliness. You were my only reason to exist and it saddened me that I could not tell you so. Maybe then… maybe I could have helped you more."**

The Jinchuurikishakily stood, keeping eye contact with the demon. "B-but what does this h-have to do with me being a d-d…"

"**Demon?"** the fox asked, to which the blond nodded. **"There is a universal law in this world; it is called the 'Demon Chaos law'. There are to be nine demons to this world. When one dies, another must take its place. I have chosen you to take my place."**

Naruto walked forward a few steps, still wary of the fox. "Why me?" he asked.

"**Because, you are the one to have taught me two important things that I would never have realized had I not been sealed in you."**

"I-I did?"

The Kyuubi chuckled. **"You taught me that humans are the worst scum on this god forsaken planet, and that I have far outlived my stay on the plane of the living."**

The blond looked at the demon quizzically. "How did I do that?"

"**Through your eyes I have seen many things."** the Kyuubi growled angrily. **"The beatings, the names, the tears, so many things. Humans are unforgiving, selfish creatures, that don't deserve to drink the putrid water beneath my feet."**

"But how does that make me eligible?"

"**Do you hate the humans?"** the fox asked from nowhere.

"W-what? I m-mean no, not really."

"**Not really?"**

"Well, I don't _hate_ them; I just don't like all of them."

"**And who do you 'not like'"**

Naruto faced the black abyss that was the ceiling, contemplating the demons' question. "I don't like Mizuke…"

"**Ahh, the Chunin who told you about me."**

"You know?" Naruto asked.

The mighty demon nodded. **"I have always been watching, and protecting. How do you think you were able to survive those beatings?"**

The young Jinchuuriki shuddered at the memory of the pain the villagers put him through. "You don't seem to bad, red."

The Kyuubi cocked its head. **"Red?"**

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well… I thought you're nicer then the stories and I didn't wanna call you Kyuubi all the time." Naruto chuckled.

'Red' chuckled, baring its large teeth. **"Very well, I won't be around long enough to tare you for it."**

Naruto looked at the fox quizzically. "What do you mean 'won't be around'?"

Kyuubi sighed, his glowing eyes dimming slightly. **"Naruto-san, I've told you, I can't stand this existence any longer."**

"So… what will happen to me if you're gone?" Naruto asked nervously.

"**You will gain all that I have, with limitations."**

"Limitations?"

"**Surly you don't expect all my power to be handed to you on a silver platter. You will get your tails with blood, sweat, and tears; just as I did.I will give you one tail to start with, just as the previous Kyuubi did to me."**

"Wait; there's been more than one Kyuubi?"

"**Over the centuries there have been at least… five Kyuubis. Until now that is. You will be the sixth."**

"But I haven't even accepted!" Naruto protested.

The great fox growled angrily. **"Listen, and listen well, child."** Naruto stiffened and nodded. **"You **_**will**_** take this power, you **_**will**_** take my place as the Kitsune no Kyuubi, and you **_**will**_** train to surpass me as I did my predecessor."**

"But-" the demon sent the young blond a death glare, quieting the teen.

"**Would you rather I give it to someone who would use it for worse things?"**

"No… but I don't think… why do you want _me_?"

"**Have you not been listening child, I respect you, I never respect anyone, but your stronger than any man I've fought, maybe not in body, but in sprit. Now do you accept?"**

"I… I guess."

"**You cannot guess, you must be absolutely sure this is what you want, I have no trouble giving my power to someone else, but I'd prefer you."**

Naruto sat to think, this all was too sudden. Until know, he never met the fox, he just knew it was there. But now that he met the thing, it wants him to become a demon? He would become the thing all the villagers hated, what they believed him to be. How would he gain their respect if he became a demon?

"**You can do so by proving them that you're their ally, not their enemy."**

Naruto jumped when he heard the fox's voice interrupt his thoughts. "Y-you heard me?"

"**This is the realm where the seal and your mindset meet. All thoughts, actions and words are heard here."**

"Then how come I can't hear your mind?" asked the blond.

"**The seal keeps me in here, but it also keeps the link between us thin. I am able to hear your thoughts, because I am on the seal's side of this realm, you are in the mindset of the realm. I can hear your thoughts because they echo in the mindset, you just don't hear them."**

The teen scratched his head in confusion. "Yeah… I think I understand…kinda."

The demon let out a heavy sigh. _**'Little liar.'**_** "Just go with me being physique, ok?"**

Naruto snapped his head up happily. "So I'll be able to read minds!" he chirped.

"**So you've decided to take my place?"** asked the demon, not wanting to get into another explanation with the clueless teen.

Naruto thought for another few seconds before nodding. "If I don't, someone else will and they could be evil. So, yeah, I'll be the new Kyuubi!" _'That sounded a lot weirder then it did in my head.'_ Thought the blond.

The mighty fox smiled, not a smile that promised pain or suffering, nor one that showed satisfaction in doing something, it was a genuine happy, relieved smile. **"Thank you."** It said in an abnormally calm tone. **"Thank you, Naruto-san. I've wanted this for years. I… I can finally rest, after centuries of destruction and pain, I can finally rest…"**

Naruto couldn't help but smile at the fox. The demon in front of him was nothing like the textbooks described. "So… how will I get my other… tails?"

The Kyuubi looked down to the teen, his smile not leaving his face. **"This is how you will be able to learn from."**

Just then, a small bookshelf appeared next to Naruto. The blond jumped with a shout as the wooden item appeared. "Don't scare me like that baka-Red!" he yelled.

The Kitsune laughed loudly at the blond's reaction. **"Calm down, these books are essentially what you need. The red ones are my journals, the purple ones are jutsu, and the black ones are on demon mannerisms and sociality."**

"Can I ask you a question?" Naruto asked. The fox nodded. "How did you make the bookshelf appear if you're on the seal side, why do I need to read your diaries, what are manasims and socialtis?"

The demon fox sighed. **"That was more than one question."** The blond just stared at the Kyuubi in response. **"Very well,"** the fox sighed. **"But TRY to listen this time. Over the years I've been able to influence your mindset to a degree. I was only able to bring up small things like a stool or a light. I did this by tapping into your imagination, and using items from it to conjor them. This near death experience you had has allowed our minds to become closer, allowing me to bring up larger items from MY mind. It will remain here as long as you live, just meditate to come here and choose a book to read. For the next question, I'd like to start off with saying that their NOT diaries! Their journals. Now, you need to read them because they tell of my life as both a human, and a demon. They mean a lot to me and I'd appreciate it if you kept them. Now to answer your last and… more stupidly pronounced question, you need to learn how to act like a proper demon. You can't go around acting like an idiot all the time. You need to know how to act in front of whom. As a mighty demon, you may be asked to go to gatherings with other demons. This is to maintain your image as a powerful demon. Understand?"**

Naruto nodded, he understood the gist of what the fox was saying. "So… how do I… you know… get my first tail?"

Kyuubi smiled again. **"Kill me."** it said happily.

"What?!" yelled the blond.

"**Kill me in here, simple."** The fox repeated.

"I can't kill you, you're too nice!"

The demon took on a serious look as he glared at Naruto. **"I only appear nice to you, but if there was anyone else here, I'd tare them to shreds for even daring to enter the same breathing space as me. I am anything but nice, now you must kill me."**

"But-"

"**Remove the seal!"** Ordered the Kyuubi.

Naruto jumped at the harshness in the fox's tone. "W-why?"

"**If you don't, I can promise you that you'll regret ever being born."**

Naruto gulped and nodded, walking over to the steel cage. He looked at the slip of paper before sliding his index finger under it, and pinching it with his thumb. He inhaled a big breath, hoping for the best. The paper came off like it wasn't even stuck there in the first place. Naruto let the seal fall to the floor as it began to set fire.

Suddenly, one of the steel bars disappeared, causing Naruto to jump. "What's happening?!" he shouted.

"**You're dumber than I thought."** Said the Kyuubi. **"The seal is forcing one of us out. You'll die and I'll be free, unless you kill me before my body crushes you."** Just as the fox said this, a katana appeared in Naruto's hands.

"Y-you tricked me!"

"**That doesn't matter now,"** the demon said as three more bars vanished. **"If you don't want me to be released and slaughter your friends, then you'll need to kill me."**

Five bars left the realm, leaving one steel pole to separate the two. "But I've never killed before!"

"**Then I guess you're going to die. Too bad, you could have protected the village. With the only human I respect dead, I'll just have to destroy Konoha."**

The final bar left, causing the water on the floor to reach the ceiling, yet the two did not drown. The large fox was pushed towards Naruto as invisible walls closed the two in. "I…"

"**Come on! Kill me!"**

"But I…"

"**KILL ME!"**

_Sheith!_

The room went quiet; the rising bubbles froze in place as a red liquid dripped on the floor. Naruto opened his eyes, seeing the katana lodged in the Kyuubi's heart. He looked to the fox, noting the smile on its face. He stared into the demon's red eyes, seeing them stop their glowing. "K-Kyuubi?"

The fox's smile widened, showing his blood covered fangs. **"Thank you…"** it said in a weak voice. **"Thank you so much, Naruto-kun."**

"I-I didn't mean t-"

"**You did, and you were right to."** Kyuubi interrupted. **"I want you to remember something for me… I use to be a human, but I can only remember my name from back then. My name was… Kobaru Sutueshi. You're the only person who knows this, don't forget it."**

With his last words spoken, the mighty demon fox, the Kitsune no Kyuubi died. He disappeared in a whirl of red smoke.

Naruto dropped the Katana and fell to his knees. He felt so… empty. When he learned of the Kyuubi's existence, he always thought as it as having someone with you all the time, even if you didn't like the person. But he got to know the fox, he got to like it. But now it was gone, he was alone. Completely alone.

The strange place around him began to disappear as he was losing consciousness. He had no idea what awaited him the next morning…


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter I find took too long, and was almost boring to write. Oh well, there'll be better stuff next chapter.

* * *

Naruto woke up with a jump, feeling energy surge into his body. His eyes opened, only he couldn't see anything. His vision was nothing but blackness. He rubbed his eyes, only instead of soft hands, he felt a fur like marital.

"**Where am I?"** he asked. The blond jumped when he heard how gruff his voice was. **"What the hell's wrong with my voice?!"**

"N-Naruto?"

Said teen looked up, only to see darkness again. **"Who's that?!"**

"I…it's me… Kakashi."

"**Kakashi-sensei?"** Naruto said. **"What's wrong with me? Why's my voice so weird, why can't I see, what happened on the bridge?!"**

Naruto felt the soft bed he was in move, meaning that his sensei had seated himself on his feet. He could feel the tension that seemed to grow between them, as the deathly silence in the room thickened.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Kakashi spoke in a calm, yet nervous voice. "Nar…" the Ninja swallowed a lump in his throat, trying to find the correct words. "What happened to you while you slept?"

The question hit the teen like a burning explosive tag. He thought hard on the subject, until information of the Kyuubi's demise by his hands flowed into his mind. Naruto felt hot tears sting the corners of his eyes. He had killed something that was so nice to him, and all he did in return was hate it for as long as he knew it. **"He… he's dead…"**

"Who?" Kakashi asked in a concerned tone.

"**The fox… I killed him."** Naruto cupped his face in his hands, quietly weeping for the loss of someone who had given him so much, and asked for so little.

Kakashi's visible eye widened, both in shock and concern for the boy in front of him. "How?" he asked in a quiet voice. "How did you kill him?"

Naruto tapped into his memory, remembering the feel of the fox's blood as it dripped from his chest. The cold feeling he held when the beast left him. And worst of all, the utter darkness he felt when he realized he was all alone.

The thought only made him cry louder. **"He- he made me do it!"** he wailed. **"He was so kind, so nice to me, and I killed him!"**

Naruto tensed when he felt a hand place itself on his shoulder, though it was a strange feeling. He heard Kakashi clear his throat, knowing what he would say. Most likely that he did well in killing it, or congratulating him.

"I'm… sorry for your loss…"

Naruto looked up, his vision improving to a colorful blur. **"S-Sensei?"** he said shakily.

"Naruto," Kakashi took in a deep breath. "I don't know why you're sad for…_its_ death, but you're upset about it. What kind of man would I be if I was happy about your sadness?"

Naruto only responded by hugging his Sensei, and crying louder. Kakashi just patted his student's head, trying his best to comfort the grieving teen. "Naruto," he said calmly. The young Nin looked to what he assumed was his Sensei's face. "I know it's hard, but you need to tell me what happened, otherwise I can't help you."

Naruto sniffed, rubbing the tears from his eyes. **"O…ok,"** he said, trying to reclaim his calm. **"I'll tell you what happened. When the hunter Nin got me with his needles…"**

--

Naruto had just finished his story. He explained how he was approached by the Fox. He told of its offer to become a demon, and how he accepted. He also said how he was forced to kill the demon, leaving him feeling empty and alone.

Kakashi just sat there, all the while never interrupting the teen, soaking up all the information that was given to him. "It all makes sense." He said aloud.

"**W-what makes sense?"**

Kakashi made eye contact with his student, though he didn't know whether he could see him. "Naruto," said Nin looked up to his Sensei. "It seems that you becoming…a demon… has caused a dramatic change in your appearance..."

Naruto's eyes widened, as he could now see Kakashi more clearly, and the information he was given. **"H…how dramatic?"** he asked with obvious traces of fear.

"How well can you see right now?" asked the Jounin.

"**I-I can see your fingernails…"**

Kakashi took in another deep breath. The silver haired man then took from the bedside a small mirror. He handed it to the teen, preparing for the noise.

Naruto reached out to grab the mirror, but stopped when he saw his arm. It was covered in… red fur. The young Ninja quickly held both his hands in front of his eyes, noting every strange oddity about them.

First, there was the fur. It was a dark crimson red, as if his arms were covered in blood. Then there were his hands. They looked _somewhat_ normal. Normal being they had fingers, instead of little stubs for paws. Other than that, they were anything but normal. His soft pink skin was replaced with red fur, his small nails gone, and in their place, ten long black nail like claws.

Naruto grabbed the offered mirror, looking wide eyed into the reflective circle. His once human nose and mouth gone, replaced with a long snout, his sapphire eyes now blood red and slitted. And what scared him most, his ears now rested on his head, as a pair of fox ears.

"**What the hell?!"** the teen yelled. Naruto tried to get up, but the second he tried to stand on his feet, he fell to the floor. The young Ninja looked to his legs, horrified at what he saw. His legs were now what looked like the hind legs of a dog or fox. It was also then that he noticed his tail. It was long and thick, casually swishing from side to side.

"**I'm… I'm a monster!"** Naruto went to crawl to the bed, his legs not helping his cause as they dragged behind him.

Kakashi helped the boy up, trying to keep calm about the situation, though it was hard considering that Naruto looked like a mini Kyuubi. And if what Naruto said was true, he WAS a mini Kyuubi.

"**This is just a bad dream… a really, really, REALLY bad dream."** Naruto tried to pinch himself, trying to wake up from this nightmare, but to an avail.

"Naruto," Kakashi spoke in a calm, firm tone. "You need to calm do-"

"**LOOK AT ME!"** the small fox yelled, fresh tears threatening to spill. **"I'm a goddamned monster!"**

"No, you're not a monster Naruto-"

"**Then what the hell am I?!"** Naruto snapped. **"You hate the Kyuubi don't you!? Well now I'm the new one, do you hate me?!"**

Kakashi took in a breath. This was much harder then he thought. "I don't hate you Naruto, I wish you chose more wisely, but there's nothing we can do except find a way to make you look normal."

"**Normal?! How am I supposed to look normal like this!?"**

"If you calm down, I'll help."

Naruto looked up at Kakashi, taking in a deep breath. **"O-ok"**

"Good." Kakashi sighed. "Now, you said the Kyuubi left some books, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"And that you can access them through meditation?"

Again, Naruto nodded.

"Then you need to see if one of the books has a way for you to change your appearance."

"**Why can't I just use a Henge?"**

Kakashi almost smiled, as he began using his teacher voice. "You no doubt have the Kyuubi's chakra. If you used a Henge, many Ninja would recognize the chakra and send the village into a panic. Even if you suppressed your chakra, any high level Jounin would sense it. The Kyuubi lived for hundreds of years, but it was very rare for someone to see its full size, so it must have had a way to stay hidden or blend in."

Naruto nodded, understanding the gist of the explanation. He only had one problem. **"How do I meditate?"**

If the situation wasn't so serious, Kakashi would have face faulted. "Y…you don't know how to meditate?"

The fox shook his head. **"I've never had to."**

Kakashi nodded, thinking on it. "Ok, just do as I do." Kakashi sat on the floor, crossing his legs and putting his hands in the 'dog' seal. Naruto did the same, though it was awkward for him to sit that way with his fox legs. Kakashi nodded. "Good, now make a seal you find comfortable with."

Naruto nodded, making the 'ram' seal. Kakashi then closed his eyes, Naruto doing the same. "Now," started the Copy Nin. "Breath in." the two took in a long breath. "Now release." They breathed out. "And repeat." They continued to do the exorcize for what seemed like hours, and nothing seemed to happen Naruto.

"**It's no good."** Said the young Kyuubi.

"What do you mean?"

"**You're too afraid."** Naruto said, causing Kakashi to jump slightly.

"What do you mean 'You're too afraid'?"

"**I don't know, it's like you're really nervous, and I can feel it."**

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "So you can sense my emotions?"

Naruto merely nodded. **"Yeah, it's like I can smell your emotion, and your kind of nervous. It's hard to stay still if you're like that."**

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "This isn't going to be easy." He stated the obvious. "Maybe…"

"**Maybe?"**

Kakashi looked back to Naruto with a thoughtful face. "What if you tried someone calmer?"

Naruto flinched at the idea, he didn't like where this was going.** "Like?"**

"Your teammates."

"**No."**

"Naruto," Kakashi said in a somewhat pleading voice. He wanted to help his Sensei's son, but how could when he was now more like the demon he hated. "They're going to find out one way or another."

"**I don't want them to know! And besides, you're a lot calmer than either of them!"** Naruto shouted.

"True, but if you were with your friends, it would help you stay calm in order to meditate. And would you rather them find out by accident?"

Naruto looked down to the floor. Kakashi was right, they would find out somehow. He was accident prone, and sooner or later, he'd slip up and they'd discover his secret. And they would probably be angry at him for doing so.** "Fine, but I want to tell them."**

Kakashi nodded, happy that Naruto could see the logic in telling them. "Ok, I'll go get them." with that, the copy Nin shun shined away. Naruto took the time to try, key word being TRY, to get used to his body.

First he tried to smell the air. He was surprised that when he did this, he was able to _see_ the scents. There were colors all around him, as if each scent had its own individual shade and color. It was breath taking, overwhelming, it was beautiful. Naruto couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips as he gazed at the tornado of colors.

Unfortunately, it was short lived as the colors suddenly disappeared. He tried to do it again, but he just felt the scents attack his nostrils, not his eyes. Naruto's ears flopped down in disappointment, missing the onslaught of beauty.

"**Oh well,"** he sighed. **"At least I got to enjoy **_**something**_** about this body."** The fox then hopped off the bed, trying to get used to standing on all fours. It was awkward and difficult for him, but it was better than when he tried to walk on two feet. Naruto took a few steps forward. It felt strange, but again, it was much better then two legs. He stumbled a little here and there, but he had it down within a minute.

Now it was time for a harder challenge, walking downstairs. From what his nose told him, Tazuna and his family were gone, there was a familiar scent that strongly resonated the downstairs area. He just shrugged his shoulders, thinking it to be nothing.

Naruto reached to the door handle, gripping it and twisting until he heard the familiar 'click!' He creaked the door open, peeking his head outside. It was clear, though the familiar scent was stronger. He walked to the stair case, placing his front left hand/foot on the first step, then his right front foot on the second. **"It's not that bad"** he mused as he leaned forward to take another step. Unfortunately, he was still not used to his body, and his balance was off.

Naruto slipped, and rolled down the stairs, landing on his neck, and hitting his back against a wall. **"Owww!"** he whined. The young fox rolled back all fours, cursing his body along the way. **"Damn feet, stupid stupid feet!"**

Naruto jumped when he heard a noise in the kitchen. He froze; frightened at the fact someone might see him. _**'It doesn't smell like Tazuna or Inari or Tsunami. Not the Teme, or Sakura-chan, who is it?'**_ whoever it was, they were the source of the familiar scent from before.

Naruto went to walk upstairs, but something kept bugging him. Who did that scent belong to? It was a mixture of herbs and blood, with a slight hint of metal. Though he wouldn't admit it, Naruto found it intoxicating. So much so that he suddenly realized that he was slowly making his way to the kitchen again.

Before he could turn around, he bumped into something. Said thing seemed to land on its but, letting out a grunt. Naruto looked in front of him, froze. In front of him was the boy named Haku he met in the forest. (1)

"**H-Haku?"** Naruto said, jumping when he realized his predicament. The young Kyuubi ran as fast as he could to the door that led to the outside, when he heard a soft voice.

"Naruto…"

Said teen stopped in his tracks. Did Haku just call him by his name? Naruto turned his head to face the other male. **"H-how do you know its m-me?"** he asked, cursing his demonic tone over and over in his head.

The long haired male looked at the fox with a blank expression, something that didn't go unnoticed by Naruto. "You changed in the middle of our fight." He said in a neutral tone.

Naruto cocked his head. **"Fight? What fight?"**

Haku reached in his pocket, pulling out his mask and placing it on his face. This caused Naruto to jump in shock. **"You're the hunter Nin!?"** he yelled. Haku nodded, placing the mask back in his pocket. He stood there for a few seconds, staring at the young fox, almost examining it like a specimen. His concentration was broken when Naruto asked, **"Why are you here?"**

Haku looked boardly to the door. "I'm sure your Sensei will tell you." The pale teen then walked back into the kitchen. Naruto, still not happy with the answer, followed him.

"**Hey,"** Haku turned his head, seeing the fox following him.

"Yes?"

"**How come you're not afraid of me?"** Naruto asked.

Haku shrugged, taking a seat in front of the table in the room. "You don't look threatening to me."

Naruto didn't know whether to take it as a complement, or an insult. **"But don't I look familiar to you?"**

Haku shook his head. "No, you look nothing like anything I've seen before, save for a fox, but you look much different than a normal fox, why?"

"**Don't I look like the… you know… the Kyuubi?"**

To this, Haku cocked his head in confusion. "The what?"

Naruto almost face faulted. **"You've never heard of the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"**

Haku shook his head once more. "No, it sounds familiar, but I only heard a merchant mention it once. But that was years ago. Why?"

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. **"I'll tell you when Kakashi-Sensei gets here."**

"That would be a good idea." Said a voice from behind. Naruto turned to see Kakashi standing three feet from him smiling.

The new demon jumped almost halfway across the room. **"Kakashi-baka! Don't scare me like that!"**

The copy cat rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Sorry Naruto, didn't mean to scare you."

Naruto, after catching his breath, looked back at Haku. **"Why's he here?"** he asked.

"Ah, him. Well, it's a long story…"

"Not really." Haku said.

"Well, it happened like this…" Kakashi started.

Flashback

Haku stared down at the fallen blond, his red crimson surrounding his neck. Haku put his hands together, and prayed that he be at rest. He didn't want to kill the boy, but he stood in Zabuza-sama's dream, and as he promised his master, he would kill for him to reach his goal.

The ice user, turned to the girl with pink hair, she was the only thing keeping the bridge builder alive. That would soon change. Haku ran to the Kunoichi at half his speed, as he saw her as no threat. The girl looked in horror as he ran at her, Senbon ready.

"Stay back!" she screamed at him. "I don't want to hurt you!" Haku could have laughed, but he just kept running.

He jumped high into the air, throwing three Senbon at the builder. The pink girl moved herself in front of the needles, imbedding them into her shoulder. She screamed in pain as her muscles were torn and her blood dripped to the floor.

"You are of no concern to me, move aside and forfeit Tazuna or die." Haku said in a cold voice as he landed in front of her.

"No!" she shouted, causing Haku to wince slightly, how could one so small make such noise? "A shinobi must never abandon the mission!" the girl ran at Haku blindly, trying to slash his stomach with her Kunai.

Haku sidestepped her, tapping her back, making her fall to the floor. The pink girl growled at him and leapt off the ground. "Naruto! Sasuke-Kun! Help me!"

Haku dodged a jab to his chest, tapping her to the floor again. "Your teammates are gone." He said in his emotionless tone.

The girl froze up upon hearing this. "Y-you killed them?" she asked shakily. To this, Haku nodded. "I-I don't believe you! Sasuke-Kun's too strong to die!" the girl sprang at Haku as fast as she could, but again, she was put down.

Haku sighed, seeing as this was going nowhere. She was obviously not going to surrender, so he had no choice. Haku picked her up off the floor and placed a Senbon to her throat. "Please," he whispered. "Surrender."

The girl looked at the wide eyed Tazuna, then back to Haku. "I…I-"

She had no time to answer, as her words were interrupted by a sound the three could only describe as a thousand chirping birds filled the air. Haku turned his head to Zabuza to stare wide eyed as the ninja Sensei ran to him with some sort of lightening attack. Quickly, Haku pushed the girl away and used his bloodline to transport himself in front of his master.

"What the hell are you doing Haku?!" yelled an angry Zabuza, but Haku did not answer.

'Damnit, I can't stop the attack!' thought Kakashi as he was mere meters from the young Nin.

"I said what the hell are you doing?!" Zabuza shouted louder, and again, Haku did not answer.

Haku stared uncaring at his soon to be demise. He closed his eyes and whispered. "For Zabuza-sama."

Zabuza ground his teeth in anger. He leaned back, and head butted Haku. The ice user felt his world go fuzzy, and soon he found himself on the floor, his head aching. His ears perked when he heard a loud ripping noise above him. He looked up in horror to see the scarecrow man's hand sticking into Zabuza's bleeding chest.

"Z-Zabuza-sama?" Haku whispered.

The Demon of the mist looked down at the ice user, coughing blood on his wraps. "Damnit Haku, I was about to counter attack him." He lied. Zabuza knew he was done for, his arms were useless and his legs were too battered to make a quick enough move.

Kakashi removed his hand from Zabuza, causing him to grunt in pain. The former Mist Nin sucked in a cold breath as air hit his exposed heart. His vision went blurry, his breathing raspy. As he looked into Haku's frightened eyes. "Haku," he coughed. "I have one last order for you."

Haku looked at his master with glazed eyes. "Y-yes Zabuza-sama?"

Zabuza narrowed his eyes at the boy, coughing blood again. "Stop crying goddamnit, you're a man, show some damn backbone!"

"Y-yes, Zabuza-sama!" Haku nodded.

Zabuza smiled through his wraps, fresh crimson everywhere. "Kill that bastard Gato, make'em beg for death." The Nuke Nin's smile widened as he could no longer see Haku. He took in one last shaky breath, before falling to his knees, and falling to his side.

Haku laid there in shock, staring teary-eyed at his master's corpse. "Z-Zabuza-sama?"

No reply.

Haku crawled over to his master's side. He shook his shoulder, trying to keep the tears that bit at his eyes from falling. "Zabuza-sama?" again, no reply. "Zabuza-sama!"

"He's… dead Haku." Kakashi said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Haku shrugged the hand away, turning to face the scarecrow with an enraged look on his face. "Don't touch me!" he yelled. "You killed my master." Haku ground his teeth. He was so angry, so sad. He wanted to lash out at the scarecrow man, but he knew it wouldn't bring his master back. He knew full well that Zabuza would die one day, but he refused to believe it would be before him. He understood that all ninja's die, but it didn't change the ach in his heart.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clapping. Haku looked to the unfinished end of the bridge to see in the clearing mist, Gato. Behind him were at least forty men, all baring an assortment of swords, spears, bludgeons and any other weapon you could swing.

The small business man smiled as he laid his eyes on the scene. "Well, what do we have here?" he asked in his slimy voice. "The great 'Demon of the Mist' killed by a bunch of brats and an old man? I was going to have my boys here take care of him but it seems you took care of that for me."

"Gato…" Haku growled. It was then he remembered his master's last orders, and he almost wanted to smile. Without warning, the ice user lunged forward, a look of determination plastered on his face.

Gato jumped, running to the back of the group, shouting. "Kill him!" to which all the men smiled in anticipation shard

Haku scooped a handful of water from the bridge floor, tossing it at the men. Immediately the water froze, and Haku slammed his palm into the small blob. "Hyoton: Ikusen kire!" The ice shattered into thousands of pieces, all of which embedded themselves into several necks.

Haku raised his arms, shouting "Crystal ice mirrors!" immediately the panes of ice arose around the men, and the slaughter began. Haku never took pleasure in killing, in fact he hated it, but he felt somewhat happy doing away with people who were planning to kill Zabuza. He wore a smile all the while as he tossed his Senbon at the men. It was almost like a dance as he switched from mirror to mirror.

Now, only three of the forty men stood living. Haku left them, knowing they were no threat. The mirrors melted as he left them, heading to the unfinished end of the bridge, where Gato stood frightened. The small business man shook with fear as the young ice user neared him, Senbon at the ready.

"N-no-now w-wait a m-minute," Gato stuttered. "C-can't we t-talk this ov-ver?"

"There is no talking to be done," Haku retorted in a cold tone. "I have my orders, and I won't go against Zabuza-sama."

"I can give you money!" Gato begged. "You like money? How about girls? Whatever you want, I can get it!"

"I just want your life!" Haku sprang forward, sticking his last Senbon into the man's windpipe. Gato clawed at his throat helplessly as oxygen left his lunge, and blood leaked through his throat. He coughed, spattering crimson onto the floor. His knees buckled and he fell on his hands, hacking and coughing blood as more and more air was cut off. He let out one last gurgled hack before falling limp. Haku sighed, content that Zabuza's last request was fulfilled.

Haku turned to face the last of Gato's men who were now running to their ship. He didn't bother stopping them; they weren't any problem to him. He walked up to the Kakashi, who was standing over his students. It seems that the black haired boy had survived the ordeal. The blond one however, Haku could see showed no signs of life.

The pink haired girl was tending to the others wounds, while Kakashi was checking Naruto's pulse. He stood, shaking his head in disappointment. The other two looked at their teammate with looks of sadness, especially the girl. She cried, pressing on the blond's chest, blowing in his mouth, anything she could come up with to bring her teammate back. But, it was futile, as his pulse never changed. She wailed into the other boy's arms to his discomfort.

Kakashi turned to face Haku, his face, what Haku could tell, showed anger at the ice user. Haku walked closer, not caring what they did to him, in fact, he was hoping they'd take his life. The scarecrow man was strong enough, and Haku no longer had anyone to protect. He was completely alone.

His thoughts were cut off as a chakra spike like nothing he ever felt came from Naruto's corpse. Around the blond ninja, a red aura seemed to form. His skin turned blood red and began to sprout hair. His face morphed into what looked like a snout and from his back grew one long red tail. After the chakra spike slowed, and finally stopped, Naruto was completely different.

The pink haired girl was the first to break the silence. "K-Kakashi-sensei… w-what happened to Naruto? He looks like th-"

"Sakura," Kakashi said in a stern tone. "Get Sasuke and Tazuna back to his house. You, Haku, help me pick him up."

Haku was taken aback, did he just ask for his help? No, he ordered him. "I do not take orders fr-"

"He was your friend, right?"

Again, Haku was surprised. It was true; Haku liked the blond, who wouldn't? He was kind, which he found rare in most ninja, and he was like him. In a way, they were friends, and before Haku knew what was happening, he was helping the scarecrow man carry Naruto back to his former target's house.

End Flashback

"And that's why he's here." Finished Kakashi.

Naruto couldn't help feeling sorry for Haku, losing the person he cared about. Even if that person was bad. **"So… what now?"** he asked.

"Well," Kakashi said, cupping his chin. "I think we should bring Sakura and Sasuke in and try meditation again."

"**Oh…"** Naruto looked down in uneasiness. **"Are they here?"**

Kakashi nodded, turning to the outside door. "Sakura, Sasuke, come inside." The door slid open and in walked the pink haired kunoichi and the Uchiha. Both stared at Naruto with confusion as he stood on all fours. "Take a seat." Sakura and Sasuke nodded, sitting on the floor. "Ok Naruto, you can begin when ready."

Naruto gulped, taking in a breath of air to prepare himself. **"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say the gist… I'm the Kyuubi no Kitsune." **The room went dead silent as Sakura and Sasuke stared wide-eyed at their teammate. Sakura's hair stood up in slight fear, while Sasuke fought to keep his jaw from dropping.

"**Now, before you freak out, just listen."** Naruto said, to which they nodded calmly. **"From what I remember, the fox was sealed in me as a baby. But that didn't make me the demon; he just sort of… lived **_**in**_** me. But he wanted me to take his place, so he could die… and… and…"** Naruto sniffed, seeing his teammates expressions unchanged.

"Naruto is still the knucklehead you know," Kakashi said. "He's now the new Kyuubi, but he's still the same."

Sakura and Sasuke nodded to their Sensei, which made Naruto smile. **"S-so you guys don't mind?"**

"I mind," said Sakura. "But… but I'll try to keep an open mind."

"Being a demon doesn't mean you're not a loser." Sasuke smirked.

"**Shut the hell up Teme!"** Naruto shouted, slightly unnerving the Uchiha, as his voice still sounded odd.

"So!" Kakashi said in a chipper tone. "Now that that's out of the way, let's try to meditate!"

Sasuke and Sakura both looked at their Sensei as if he were crazy, or more crazy than usual. "Why do we need to meditate?" asked Sakura.

"'**Cause I need to meditate to turn back to my normal looking self."**

"Why?"

"Sakura," Kakashi intervened. "We'll talk about it later, right now, we need quiet."

The kunoichi nodded, placing her hands into the Snake seal. Sasuke did the same, making the Bore seal. Naruto sat uncomfortably as they began to meditate. Of course Sakura and Sasuke were anything but calm, they just found out their teammate, their loud, obnoxious, knuckleheaded teammate, is the most powerful demon in the world. But it didn't distract Naruto like before. He knew these two, even if they didn't like him in the academe; he was around them more than most other people, with the exception of Iruka.

The thought of the scarred ninja caused Naruto to feel a pang in his heart. What would he think of this? He was now the fox, would Iruka hate him? Naruto pushed his questions out of the way, knowing he'd have to find out later.

He breathed in… and out. In, out. In, out. In, out… Naruto started to feel light headed, as he could no longer sense his teammates, but so much more. He could sense Kakashi. He could see a man fishing off a dock. He could even see Tazuna at the bridge. It was if for a few seconds, he and the environment around him were one.

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself in that all too familiar darkness. It felt so empty now without the fox… he shook the thought from his head as he headed to the bookshelf. He stopped when he realized he forgot which books were for what. **"Ah, crap!"** he yelled. Naruto just pulled a random book out, but stopped when a letter fell from the shelf. He picked it up and read.

_Dear brat,_

_I knew you were too stupid to remember the book's order and which are for what, so this letter is a reminder. __The red ones are my journals, the purple ones are jutsu, and the black ones are on demon mannerisms and sociality. Can you remember those big words? Ok, now I'm sure your reading this because your faced with your first problem, changing back. Well, just read page thirty eight in the first Jutsu book. Now I ain't got much time, your entering a fight with some kid. And yes, I knew you'd agree to this._

The letter ended there. Naruto couldn't help the sad smile that made its way on his face. **"Damn fox…"** Naruto placed the note on top of the shelf and pulled out the red book labeled with a one. He flipped through the pages and stopped on the thirty eighth page.

_Transformation._

_Many demons will need to blend into human society, so they must appear human. By simply focusing your chakra while going through the appropriate seals, a demon will transform into their human form. This is a cause of…_

Naruto memorized the seals and slammed the book shut. Now he just needed to get back to the real world. He closed his eyes tight and opened them. Nothing. **"How do I wake up?"**

Naruto's answer came to him in the form of a sharp pain on the back of his head. He opened his eyes to see Sakura standing over him with a look of anger on her face. "Did you just fall asleep?!" she yelled.

Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. **"Maybe…"**

"Urrg, your such an idiot!" Sakura said, sitting back down.

Naruto sat still for a minute before saying. **"Oh, yeah! I know how to transform!"**

"You do?" asked Kakashi. "Can you try?"

Naruto nodded, going through the appropriate hand seals while focusing his chakra. He found it somehow easier to concentrate chakra, but ignored the thought when he felt a tingling sensation.

Naruto watched as his fur and claws retracted, and his snout turn back into a nose. His feet cracked uncomfortably and returned to their normal form. His legs bent back to the right shape. Now he had only blood red skin, which seemed to recede to his chest, before disappearing altogether.

Naruto smiled and cheered as his body was now the way it should be, blond hair and all. "Yes!" he shouted. Naruto grabbed at his throat, happy to have his normal voice back. "My voice is back, wooo!"

Naruto stopped his cheering when he noticed everyone was blushing. "What?"

"Look down Baka!" Sakura shouted.

Naruto cocked his head, but complied. His eyes widened when he realized. "I'm naked!" the blond ran as fast as he could up the stairs, and slammed the door to the guest room behind him.

After a few minutes, Naruto came down the stairs wearing a large white T and brown cakey shorts. "What happened to my clothes?" Naruto asked, annoyed he couldn't find his trademark colors.

Kakashi cleared his throat to gain his attention. "Your clothes were torn when you transformed."

"Good riddance." Whispered Sakura.

"You'll just have to make do with those for now."

"Ah man, this sucks!" Naruto frowned. "Now I have to buy a new jumpsuit."

Sakura's eye twitched at those words and she rose from her seat. "Oh no you're not!" she shouted. "You're getting some better clothes as soon as we get back to Konoha."

"But I like my ora-" Naruto stopped when Sakura sent him a death glare that rivaled the Kyuubi. "Y-yes Sakura-chan!" Naruto said.

"Hate to break up this… 'Moment'," Sasuke said. "But what are we supposed to do about him?" he pointed to Haku with a scowl.

"He's coming with us." Kakashi answered nonchalantly.

All three looked at the Copy Nin as if he were crazy. "Kakashi-Sensei, why should we bring him with us?" Sakura asked.

"Because," Kakashi said, putting on his 'teaching voice'. "Haku has no allegiance to any country, and to no one. While we _could_ let him be on his way, we don't know if he'll try to attack us again. But killing him isn't a good option either. He has a rare Bloodline limit that might prove useful for the village."

"So I'm property?" Haku said unhappily.

"In a way, yes. We have to take you to Hokage-Sama to know what should be done with you."

Haku nodded and sat down angrily.

"But when do we leave?" Naruto asked, wanting badly to get back to Konoha and get some ramen. After the craziness of the week, the salty food was the only thing he could look forward to.

"We were supposed to leave yesterday," Kakashi said. "But your condition didn't change. Since you're up, I would suggest everyone get ready…" Kakashi looked at the nonmoving Ninja. "Now."

Everyone ran upstairs to gather their stuff, Sasuke and Sakura being first. Kakashi looked at Haku and faked a smile. "Don't you have anything you need to get?"

Haku shook his head, trying not to make eye contact with the Nin. "I only needed Zabuza-Sama…" he said quietly.

Kakashi kept his smile on and nodded to the androgynous teen. He turned his head as his students came down the stairs, brandishing their backpacks. Kakashi opened the door for them to leave, when Naruto asked.

"Where's Tazuna? Or tsunami? Or Inari?"

Kakashi pointed to the bridges direction. "He went to finish the bridge." He answered, walking in its direction. The Genin and 'hunter' Nin followed, the latter keeping his ever present neutral expression.

As the group neared the bridge, Naruto couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips at what he saw. The entire village had shown up to see the Ninja off, all wearing smiles of gratitude. Tazuna pushed his way to the front and smiled as he saw Naruto.

"Hey, brat!" he said, his smile curling. "Are you leaving already?"

Naruto grinned at the old man, nodding his head. "Yeah, but I'll be back some day, I swear! And if someone's giving you trouble, just give us a shout!"

The semi drunk worker nodded to the excitable blond. "Good to hear."

From the crowd came a saddened Inari. The small boy hugged Naruto, saying "Thank you with tears in his eyes.

"No problem Inari, I promise I'll visit you again." Naruto said, ruffling the child's hair.

"You better." Inari sniffed.

The group said their goodbyes and headed home.

Later…

The ninja from the Leaf decided to set up camp for the night. Naruto was given first watch, as he had already slept the week off. The new Kyuubi poked the fire with a stick, the sparks reflecting off his eyes.

"You seem sad…"

Naruto jumped, holding out a kunai knife. "Who's there?" he shouted.

From the shadows came Haku, his neutral expression still unmoving. "I didn't mean to scare you…" he said taking a seat across from Naruto.

Said ninja let out a deep breath of relief. "What are you doing up, Kakashi-sensei is supposed to keep an eye on you.

"I managed to get away from him."

"So I suppose you're going to knock me out and get away?" Naruto asked, gripping the handle of his weapon.

The black haired teen shook his head. "No, your Sensei would catch me eventually."

"Then why are you here?" Naruto asked, starting to get annoyed with the short answers.

Haku shrugged, placing his hands near the fire. "I don't know…"

The blond teen glared at the ice user. "Fine by me, it would be nice to have a friend."

The Hyoton Nin looked at Naruto strangely. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"You are probably the only friend I have right now." Naruto replied.

"What about the red eyed boy, or the pink haired girl?"

Naruto smiled a forced grin. "They're afraid of me…" he said. "I could tell the second they laid eyes on me. Even after their whole acceptance thing, I could still sense the fear. They've been avoiding me ever since we left… even my Sensei is a little scared of me. But you, you never heard of the demon I am. You haven't treated me like something to fear."

Naruto smiled even more. "It's kind of ironic. The person who tried to kill me is the only friend I have, and my real friends are afraid of me."

Haku looked at Naruto sadly. The ice user tried to smile at the Kyuubi. "I'll be your friend Naruto-San. I don't have any either."

Naruto smiled for real and nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

So Boring in my opinion. Any way's, the rest won't be this long, so you can expect quicker updates.


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